GEAR REVIEW: Six Moon Designs Deschutes Cuben Fiber Tarp Shelter

By Will Rietveld

Six Moon Designs calls it a tarp, which may deter some hikers because they don’t want a tarp, they want an enclosed shelter. But this is an enclosed shelter, albeit floorless like a tarp. Some call it an enclosed tarp or shaped tarp. And it is also similar to a Mid (short for pyramid), but it’s six-sided rather than four-sided. Confused? Just look at the photos below.

Deschutes Tarp at 12,500 feet in the Southwestern Colorado Mountains.

The beauty of the Cuben Fiber version of this shelter is it provides reliable shelter for one person and weighs just 7 ounces. Just think of the weight savings compared to any other 1-person shelter! It’s also available in silnylon (13 ounces, $165) and silnylon with perimeter netting (16 ounces, $175, formerly the Wild Oasis), and as a two-person version called the Haven Tarp (10 ounces, $475).

There is no question that the Deschutes Tarp is very, very lightweight, but how livable is it, does it provide adequate protection from weather, and how much protection from bugs does it provide? I will address those questions in this review.

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer	Six Moon Designs (sixmoondesigns.com)
Model	Deschutes Tarp (Cuben Fiber)
Materials	Cuben Fiber 0.74 oz/sq yd
Included	Shelter, guylines, stuff sack (stakes not included, requires 6)
Protected Area	44 sq ft
MSRP	$330

Description

The Deschutes Tarp is 6-sided (the backside is one panel, but it divides into two sides when the shelter is staked out; and the entry doors each comprise one side) and requires one trekking pole and six stakes to set up. The trekking pole can set between 45 to 49 inches; the shorter height provides more protection but less headroom, and the taller height provides more headroom and raises the edges of the shelter above the ground for more ventilation.

The Deschutes Tarp is fast and easy to set up: lay it on the ground in the desired location, stake the four side corners, insert the trekking pole’s handle into the tent’s pole pocket at the peak, stake the backside, and stake the vestibuled entry side. I use four titanium hook stakes for the sides and two aluminum tubular stakes for the front and back.

Entry is through a zippered vestibule that is now nearly full height for easy entry/exit. My test shelter in the photos is an earlier model with a shorter zipper that required more stooping over, so the longer zipper is a good improvement. The updated current shelter also has a vent at the peak.

The back side is one panel that divides into two sides when it is staked out

Since the shelter is floorless, you also need to carry a lightweight groundsheet fitted to the tent; I use one made of thin cross-linked plastic. The complete shelter, with groundsheet and stakes, weighs 10.5 ounces.

Field Testing

My testing consisted of several summer backpacking trips in the Southwest Colorado Mountains, and fall backpacking trips in Canyonlands and Grand Canyon National Parks.

These were very diverse conditions. Camping above 12,000 feet is often cool and breezy at night, so I often pinned the edges of the shelter to the ground for more protection. For warm calm nights I raised the edges of the shelter above the ground for more ventilation. For calm rainy nights or afternoon bivouacs I pitched the shelter higher to provide more room inside and lessen contact with condensation on the inside of the shelter. When camping on sand I put rocks on top of the stakes to make them hold, and at one campsite in the Grand Canyon I had to put rocks on top of the guylines to secure the tent because I couldn’t get a stake into the ground.

Livability  

I’m right at 6 feet tall, and found that entry/exit required me to stoop way down and crawl into or out of the tent, which was cumbersome. Fortunately that issue is now overcome with the lengthened zipper on the vestibule. With the edges of the shelter raised up, interior roominess is no problem; 44 square feet of protected is a lot for a 1-person shelter. A typical 1-person tent has only about 18 square feet of floor space for comparison. However, when the edges of the shelter are pinned to the ground for more weather/bug protection, headroom and footroom actually depend on how thick my sleeping pad is. The orange pad in the photos is 2.5 inches thick, which results in brushing my head on the sidewall of the tent when rising up, and headroom is limited too. Using a thinner sleeping pad makes a noticeable difference under the same conditions.

That said, note in the photos that there are tie loops on the two sides of the tent, so you can attach a guyline to the sidewall and connect it to your second trekking pole to pull out the end of the tent where your head will be. Simply run the guyline from the shelter to your trekking pole and then to the ground. That feature provides enough interior room so my head doesn’t brush against the sidewall when I sit up. Overall, I still wished for a little more interior room.

Each side of the shelter has an attachment point (black square) where a guyline can be attached to extend the sidewall above the sleeper's head to provide more clearance. It is shown tied out in the second photo.

The entry vestibule is a really nice feature. It prevents wind-driven rain from entering the shelter and is big enough to store all of my gear and keep it dry. Note the short zipper on my test shelter; the zipper on the current version is 10 inches longer and the peak has a vent.

Weather Protection 

Many people fret about the adequacy of such a minimalist shelter in stormy or windy conditions. It all gets down to experience. I have previously tested Six Moon Designs’ Gatewood Cape and Wild Oasis shelter in the rain on many occasions, and was impressed with their stormworthiness. The Deschutes Tarp is basically the same design and is just as secure. So, I didn’t begin this review with any skepticism; I already knew from past experience that the Deschutes Tarp would do the job. It kept me dry through all night rains and wind-driven rain and hail from thunderstorms.

It’s always best to orient the back of the shelter to the direction that storms are most likely to come from, but of course you don’t always guess right. Calm rains are no problem, and you can even use a high pitch if you like. But for wind-driven rain, or just wind, it’s important to stake the bottom edge of the shelter to the ground. In that situation I don’t use the guylines, I stake directly to the loops on the shelter.

Bug Protection 

This is where my review of the Deschutes Tarp is less definitive. Bugs are usually not a big issue in the Southwestern US. In the few occasions over the years where I did have a bug issue, I noticed that mosquitoes and flies do not readily come in under the bottom edge of a floorless shelter. It doesn’t absolutely keep them out, but not enough of them get in to make it a problem. Also, I note that the mosquitoes usually go away when the temperature drops under about 40F, so the bugs are gone by bedtime in the mountains. So, for me, I get by quite well with a floorless shelter.

However, I realize that is not the case everywhere. For situations where bugs, mice, and other creepy crawlers are a real problem, SMD has their Serenity NetTent (11 ounces/$175) which fits inside the Deschutes Tarp to make it a double-wall shelter weighing 18 ounces. The combination provides a lot of versatility.

Assessment

It would be hard to find a fully enclosed shelter as light as the Deschutes Tarp. Weighing just 7 ounces (about 10.5 ounces with groundsheet and stakes), the Deschutes eliminates a huge amount of weight from one’s gear kit.

It also provides plenty of rain and wind protection to enable a good night’s sleep, which is important on strenuous backpacks. I personally don’t care to sleep under a regular tarp anymore because nighttime breezes go right through it and it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep. The Deschutes is more like a tent, it’s fully enclosed and you can keep breezes out.

For locations where bugs are an important issue, the SMD Deschutes Tarp pairs with the SMD NetTent to create a bugproof double wall tent weighing just 18 ounces, which is still a weight that is hard to beat.

As mentioned above, overall I found the Deschutes to have adequate interior space for minimalist backpacking, but I often wished for a little extra interior volume so I could avoid brushing against the sidewalls when they had condensation. That was especially true when I used a thicker sleeping pad and had the shelter pinned to the ground. Another option that will appeal to many hikers (including me) is to move up to the SMD Haven Cuben Fiber Tarp. The Haven is a 2-person version of this shelter that uses two trekking poles for support, has 2 doors, and weighs only 10 ounces. That’s right, just 3 ounces more. The Haven would be a delightfully roomy shelter for one person, and accommodates two when you camp with a partner. It would also be a great choice if you hike with a dog. However, at $475 it costs $145 more.

Overall the Deschutes is a perfect shelter for a super-ultralight gear kit for backpacking in the mountains, where more protection is needed. It is well designed and constructed, and fairly priced for a Cuben shelter. The only drawback I found is the tight quarters inside under certain conditions, but moving up to the Haven easily solves that issue, and provides more versatility to boot.

It sure would be nice if the cost of Cuben Fiber (now Dyneema Composite Materials) would finally come down. It has proven itself (in terms of durability and longevity) for lightweight backpacking to reduce weight, but it comes at a big price. The Deschutes is $330 and the Serenity is $475, which is the typical cost for a Cuben Fiber shelter. Only a select few avid backpackers are willing to plunk down the money to buy a Cuben Fiber shelter, and that’s unfortunate.   

GEAR REVIEW: Kora Shola 230 Zip-T Baselayer

By Will Rietveld

Kora Shola baselayers are made of Yak wool, and Kora is the only company that purchases Yak wool from Tibetan nomadic herders and processes it into fabric. Yaks are the cattle of the Tibetan Plateau; they are raised for their milk, meat, hides, and wool, and are used as pack and work animals as well. Yaks survive at 4000 to 5000 meters due to their soft wooly undercoat that protects them from the winter cold. The yaks naturally shed their wooly undercoat in summer, and herders simply pluck the wool as it is shed; there is no shearing as with Merino sheep.

Why Yak wool? Research by Kora has shown that, compared to an equivalent weight of merino wool fabric, Yak wool fabric is 40% warmer, 66% more breathable, and 17% better at transporting water vapor, as well as being lighter and softer (like cashmere).

The Kora Shola 230 Zip-T is made of Yak wool and is claimed to be 40% warmer, 66% more breathable, and 17% better at transporting water vapor compared to a similar weight of merino wool.

 

I tested the Kora Shola 230 Zip-T to evaluate the performance of a Yak wool baselayer. FYI, a Kora is a devotional practice of trekking around a sacred mountain. I didn’t exactly do that, but I tested the baselayer on numerous trips (mostly snow sports) in the Southern Rockies to check it out.

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer	Kora (www.kora.net
Product	Shola 230 Zip-T
Fabric	100% Yak wool, 230 grams/square meter
Weight	10.15 oz (men’s Large)
Features	12 in front zipper, stand up collar, extra long body and sleeves, flat-locked seams, set-in sleeves, dropped tail
MSRP	$160

Description

Kora is a British company launched in 2013. They purchase fair trade Yak wool from a cooperative of nomadic herders on the Tibetan Plateau, then ship the wool to three factories in adjacent China for processing, knitting, and sewing.

Presently Kora offers a Yak wool zip-T and crew neck in men’s and women’s versions, bottoms, and a hooded jacket. The base layers all use 230 grams/square meter fabric, which is mid-weight. Sewing details, sizing, and fit are excellent. Other fabrics and garments are in the pipeline.

Because of its thermal benefits to the original Yak, and its claimed superiority over merino wool in terms of warmth, breathability, and moisture transfer, the Kola 230 Zip-T is primarily intended as a cold/cool weather baselayer. The focus is clearly on warmth and comfort. For its premium quality and price, an avid outdoors person should be able to detect significant warmth and extended range of comfort benefits from a lighter weight garment, compared to merino wool.

Field Testing

I tested it in winter in temperatures ranging from -10 to 55F and a range of weather conditions. I tallied a total of 36 outings testing the Shola Zip-T: trail running, snow hiking, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, and warm weather hiking.

In Southwestern Colorado, winter days start out cold but the sun is strong and highs can reach 50F. I wore the Shola by itself under a very breathable hardshell jacket a good part of the time for aerobic activities in cold temperatures, and by itself in balmier conditions above freezing. And then there were those days when I wore it with a midlayer and shell in near blizzard conditions.

For comparison, I wore an Icebreaker 260 weight merino zip-T while trail running to see if I could detect a noticeable difference between it and the Kora Shola 230 (Icebreaker doesn’t have a 230 weight baselayer for a direct comparison). On those days I ran a 3.5 mile loop with 1000 feet of elevation gain and loss on packed snow in 20-35F temperatures, and then weighed the baselayer when I got home to determine moisture accumulation.

I know this is a subjective evaluation, but I will relate my experiences with the Shola as accurately as I can.

I found the construction quality and fit to be excellent. I like the extra long body; it doesn’t pull out when I bend over. And the sleeves are plenty long for my long arms. The cuffs do not have thumb loops. The fabric feels soft and warm against my skin and is not itchy. The flat-locked seams prevented any skin abrasion.

From testing the Shola Zip-T in snow sports and hiking, my impressions are that it is softer next to skin, remarkably warm, and has a broad comfort range. When worn under a highly breathable hardshell made of eVent DVS fabric, the combination provided warmth and sustained comfort while actively skiing or hiking in cold/cool temperatures down to about 15F; below that I added a fleece midlayer. What was remarkable was 1) the baselayer never felt clammy with the jacket fully zipped, and 2) its extended comfort range, out to about 50F before I had to open the front zipper of the jacket, and eventually take the jacket off.

On several warmer February days I was able to test the Shola by itself while skiing or snowshoeing at high altitude. It was delightful to wear a single layer on 40-50F days with a light breeze while skiing on five feet of snow.

I wore the Shola on 23 outings before I washed it for the first time, and there was no detectable smell. The garment smelled like a wet dog when it was wet, but that smell went away when it dried. After the washing I wore the Shola full-time for four days on an 8 mile ski trip to a mountain cabin and daily backcounty sojourns from the cabin; still no smells. The Shola also does not have any detectable pilling after wearing it on 36 outings.

My comparisons of the Shola Zip-T with an Icebreaker 260 Zip-T were all done on trail runs, as described above. With a breathable jacket worn over the Shola, the moisture accumulation in the baselayer was 1.9 ounces, compared to 2.3 ounces for the Icebreaker 260. For the baselayers worn by themselves (no jacket over them) the Kora accumulated 0.6 ounces of moisture while the Icebreaker accumulated 0.45 ounces. The results are very similar.

Assessment

The Kora Shola Zip-T is clearly a premium and elegant baselayer that is exceptionally well designed and sewn. And it has a premium price tag, about one-third more than a comparable merino wool baselayer.

So, does it perform better? Well, from my experience, it feels softer against my skin and softer to the touch, like cashmere. It is finely woven, and shows no signs of pilling. For active winter sports in colder weather, worn under a shell jacket or alone on warmer days, I was very pleased with its warmth, breathability, and comfort. In my opinion, it’s a measure better than a comparable merino wool baselayer.

However, when I pushed it to its limits by wearing it under a hardshell jacket while trail running, it accumulated a lot of moisture by the end of my run, the same as the merino wool baselayer. So they both accumulate moisture when confined under a shell, which is understandable. When either one was worn alone while trail running in cool temperatures, they accumulated some sweat but were still comfortable and warm.

Overall, from a performance standpoint, the Kora SholaYak wool baselayer lives up to its claims. It’s remarkably soft, warm, breathable, and moisture transmitting during moderate aerobic activity in cold/cool weather. However, I did not directly compare the Kora to a merino baselayer for snow sports. When I compared the two while trail running, the performance was basically the same.

From a weight standpoint, the Shola provides more warmth and performance in a lighter weight garment, about 3 ounces lighter than a merino baselayer.

From a cost standpoint, the Shola costs about $40 more than the Icebreaker 260 Zip-T I compared it with. People reading this review will ask if the extra warmth and performance is worth the extra cost. My response is you basically get what you pay for; you will not be disappointed with the Kora Shola. A high-tech cycling jacket or fleece top costs about the same, so the $160 cost is not unusual.

GEAR REVIEW: Mishmi Takin Garamba Jacket

This new company designed the most breathable hardshell jacket to be found.

By Will Rietveld

Mishmi Takin is a new outdoor brand coming to market. I met its founder Kapil Dev Singh at the Winter 2016 Outdoor Retailer trade show and found a very interesting story. Kapil is an MIT trained immigrant from India. An avid hiker, Kapil was unable to find gear that performed in the hot and humid tropics of his native Himalayas or the West African forests. So, he created Mishmi Takin, a company committed to designing high performance gear for climatic conditions often overlooked by major brands. The company is named after a rare goat-antelope found in the remote Eastern Himalayas, and their products are named after national parks in India and Africa.

The Garamba Jacket I tested is their lightest hardshell jacket constructed of 2.5-layer air permeable eVent DVlite (Direct Venting Lite) fabric. It’s the only air-permeable jacket I know of that has pit zips, plus several other features to enhance ventilation.

 

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer	Mishi Takin (www.mishmitakin.com)
Product	Garamba Jacket (men’s and women’s versions available)
Fabric	40 denier air permeable eVent DVlite 2.5-layer (1000 mm waterproofness, 18,000 g/m2 breathability)
Weight	14.2 oz (men’s Large)
Features	2.5-layer eVent DVlite fabric, 2 high mesh lined core vent pockets with water-resistant zippers, full-height water-resistant YKK Aquaguard Vislon zipper with storm flap behind, 14-inch pit zips with 2 pulls and storm flap, attached hood with stiffened brim and 3-way adjustment, asymmetric cuffs with Velcro tab closure, dropped tail with 2-way adjustable hem drawcord, small inside mesh pocket, laser cut vent holes at chin and top of back
MSRP	$275

Description

The Garamba Jacket is designed for maximum breathability through a combination of highly breathable fabric plus seven ventilation features. It’s best described as a versatile hardshell jacket for aerobic activities and trekking in more humid conditions – any situation where maximum breathability is needed. It’s not necessarily a mountaineering jacket, but it would serve that purpose with reasonable care. Applications include running, hiking, aerobic skiing, biking, and light mountaineering.

The jacket’s fabric is the most breathable currently available – 2.5-layer eVent DVlite. In my publications on testing air permeable waterproof-breathable fabric technologies I found eVent fabric to be the most breathable, better than Gore-Tex and NeoShell. So the fabric used in the Garamba is cutting edge.

Contrary to the claims of fabric manufacturers, under heavy exertion (like running or hiking uphill carrying a backpack) no waterproof-breathable shell fabric provides enough breathability to keep up with perspiration, so the jacket will eventually steam up inside. Supplemental ventilation is necessary to maintain comfort. The Garamba Jacket has the most ventilation features I have ever seen in an air-permeable jacket – front zipper, pit zips, cuffs, hem, core vents, and laser cut vents at the chin and upper back.

The Garamba is the only air permeable hardshell jacket that I know of that has pit zips (left). Core vents (right) are mesh-lined hand pockets that ventilate the torso area when the pockets are unzipped. The pockets are located high so a pack hipbelt doesn’t cover them.

Laser cut perforations in the chin area (left) and center of the back (right) behind the hood add extra ventilation.

Field Testing

Snowshoeing at 12,500 feet in Southwestern Colorado. I wore the Garamba Jacket on 22 outings in early 2016 while hiking trail running, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, and one 4-day hut trip. Temperatures ranged from -10 to 50F in a range of weather conditions.

My first impression of the Garamba Jacket is its good fit and soft hand. I found the fit to be just right for me (6 feet/170 pounds), with enough room inside for layering over a lightweight down jacket. It feels like a windshell jacket. It isn’t stiff like many hardshells but functions like a hardshell for snow sports, as well as a rain and wind shell for the rest of the year.

I like the front YKK Aquaguard zipper, which is easier to zip compared to a typical water-resistant zipper. While a conventional water-resistant zipper adds to the stiffness of a typical hardshell jacket and requires two hands to operate the zipper (one to hold the bottom of the jacket and the other to grasp the zipper pull), the Aquaguard (to a large extent) can be operated with one hand and contributes to the jacket’s suppleness.

On me, the top of the zipper comes up to the bottom of my mouth and does not cover my mouth, which makes it easy to breathe with the zipper up and hood on. Other jackets cover my mouth, which I find uncomfortable when I am hiking or skiing hard.

So, how breathable is it? The Garamba’s eVent DVlite waterproof-breathable fabric is remarkable in terms of its comfort range; the best I have experienced. I was able to wear the jacket over a midweight baselayer and hike or ski hard in 15 to 50F temperatures without so much as unzipping the jacket. When hiking uphill carrying a pack, it gets down to how far you can go before steaming up inside (which means that sweat production is surpassing the capacity of the jacket’s fabric to transmit water vapor it to the outside). The eVent DVlite fabric allows you to go a lot further before reaching that stage, or it may not happen at all if you are hiking at a moderate pace, its overcast, temperatures are cooler, or its windy.

To extend the comfort range even more, the Garamba has numerous ventilation options; how much do they contribute to comfort? The short answer is they all add up.

By far, opening the front zipper provides the most ventilation. 

However, when it’s raining, it is often hard to open the front zipper very much for ventilation. In that case the other ventilation features become more important. These include: loose cuff openings, hem open at the bottom of the jacket, core vents via the hand pockets, pit zips, and perforations at the chin and top of the back. Individually they don’t provide as much ventilation as the front zipper, but their effects add up. Ventilation is assisted by vapor pressure (from sweating) that builds up inside the jacket which is seeking an exit to the outside. The extra ventilation features provide a way for it to get out.

The Garamba stayed dry and warm inside while hiking in a wet snowstorm. The hood adjusts to fit around the head without blocking vision.

Assessment

Waterproof-breathable jacket technologies are hyped a lot, so buyer expectations are high. The reality is most jackets are waterproof as claimed but breathability is limited. There is a limit to breathability because waterproofness, windproofness, and breathability need to be balanced. There is a limit on how much breathability can be increased without compromising windproofness and waterproofness. Certainly you don’t want an exceptionally breathable shell jacket that the wind blows through and rain penetrates. There are many occasions when we count on a hardshell jacket for protection from the elements.

Manufacturers are extending the limits to attain dryness and comfort in hardshells. In that context, the Mishmi Takin Garamba Jacket is as cutting edge as it gets. It employs a combination of the most breathable air permeable shell fabric available (eVent DVlite 2.5-layer) with numerous ventilation features to create what can be claimed to be the most breathable hardshell jacket available. For that it merits an A+.

However, the added features do add a little more weight. The Garamba weighs 14.2 ounces, which is about 2-4 ounces heavier than comparable jackets with fewer ventilation features. The Montane Featherlite Shell Jacket, also made of eVent DVS, weighs just 10.45 ounces in size Large, but it doesn’t have pit zips, an Aquaguard front zipper, and a back vent. And it costs $399, $124 more than the Garamba, so the Garamba is a good value.

To sum up, the Mishmi Takin Garamba Jacket is the most breathable hardshell jacket currently available, its cutting edge, and it’s reasonably priced.

The Meaning of Ultralight

Nowadays the word “ultralight” seems to be analogous with “religion”. Various individuals and institutions have a different interpretation of it, and promote their doctrine as the “true” one. Some are earnest and others are self-serving.

If you Google the words “ultralight backpacking” you will see what I mean.

Near the top of the list is REIs “Ultralight Backpacking Basics”, which comes through as “mainstream-light”. Backpacker Magazine has come on board too, and their idea of ultralight is based on what the big companies (their advertisers) have to offer. Again “mainstream-light”. You basically get the same response if you walk into an outdoor store and ask the clerk for her ultralight gear advice.

There are many people out there who don’t want to take the time and effort to research something before they act. They prefer to follow the advice from a credible source, such as the above. All I can say is these people are the target audience of the purveyors of the ultralight backpacking advice described above.

I have been accused of being “elitist” and “preachy” before, so I want to avoid that in this blog, if I can.

The best advice, I believe, is to do your homework first, and take your time. The internet is a vast resource, and there are several good books too. Research it until you find your comfort level on the ultralight to lightweight scale, and what kind of gear is needed for where you intend to backpack. Plan on investing some time if you want to get it right.

However, the “just do it” advice from others is hard for me to support. It’s simple, but you learn everything the hard way.

One big obstacle is the inability to try something before you buy it. Most people want to be confident about something before they buy it, but where do you get the information you need? Online gear reviews help a lot, especially from a creditable source. If you research something enough, a consensus does emerge.

That’s the reason I write gear reviews; I want to help people make an informed decision. But I follow that up by saying -- don’t just listen to my advice, read a range of opinions and make your own decision.

Want a quick way to do research on the internet? Google "ultralight backpacking" and then click on "images" at the top and peruse through the many images of ultralight gear. Click on whatever interests you to go to the source.

Your thoughts?

Introducing the Ultralight Insights Blog

A blog is what it is, an outlet to interact on what is currently of interest. In this case its about ultralight gear and backpacking. That's a favorite subject for many of us, and we want to keep on learning.

 I will have to admit that I am a first time blogger. I'm not really into chit-chat. I have a Facebook account but its sadly neglected. I don't Tweet. I prefer to read things that increase my awareness and to keep up on what's new.


Which brings me back to the present topic -- creating a blog on my website.

I'm doing it because I want to give it a go to see what happens. I will try to introduce some good topics that I hope will generate some interest and response. I want to find out what other people are thinking and learn from you.

While the blog is not open to others starting a new thread, like in a forum, I would still like to hear what you would like to discuss. Mention new topics in your comments and I will introduce the ones that are within the scope of this website and likely to generate reader interest.

Thanks in advance for your interest and contributions!

GEAR REVIEW and My Favorite Gear #9: Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System

In spite of its drawbacks, the 1.3 ounce Sawyer Mini lands on my favorite gear list. It's the lightest and best water filtration system currently available.

By Will Rietveld

Personal water treatment is always a hot topic among lightweight backpackers. We ditched the heavy pump style filters for personal use long ago, but perhaps they still have a role for small groups. Now the personal water treatment debate is about which is the best lightweight effective water treatment system: Aqua-Mira drops, Aqua-Mira tabs, Ultra Violet, or the Sawyer filters. Other “lightweight” filters on the market require expensive replacement cartridges, so I omit them.

Following up on their 2.4-ounce Squeeze Water Filter, Sawyer introduced the Sawyer Mini in September 2013. Weighing just 1.3 ounces stripped, it’s hard to imagine a water filter any lighter than this. However, as you will see, the choice is not that clear cut, each method has its drawbacks.

The new Sawyer Mini water filter weighs just 1.3 ounces (without the cap and drink tube), and can be used a variety of ways. It comes with a heavy-duty syringe (for backflushing), a drink tube (for drinking directly from a stream or lake), and a 16 ounce flask for $24.95.

 Specifications and Features

Manufacturer	Sawyer Products (www.sawyer.com)
Product	Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System
Included	Filter, tip cap, drinking straw, cleaning plunger, 16 oz squeeze pouch
Weight	Whole kit 4.85 oz, filter without tip cap 1.3 oz, tip cap .05 oz, drink tube 0.2 oz, plunger 1.15 oz, squeeze pouch 0.8 oz
MSRP	$25

Description

The Sawyer Mini at 1.3 ounces stripped is the lightest water filter currently available. That’s roughly the same weight as using Aqua-Mira drops in small dropper bottles! The beauty of the Mini is it filters to 0.1 micron (the same as the best pump filters) and it doesn’t use expensive replaceable cartridges. It comes with a heavy-duty syringe for backflushing, and it can be backflushed indefinitely; Sawyer guarantees it for 100,000 gallons.

The technology used by Sawyer is adapted from medical dialysis; water is drawn through the side walls of a cluster of micro-tubes into their hollow center and out the end of the tubes. Sediments and organisms are trapped on the outer walls of the tubes. Backflushing (using the included syringe) removes the filtered out debris and the system is ready to use again.

The Mini can be used four ways to filter water: 1) screwed onto any plastic beverage bottle with a standard 28 mm opening; 2) directly from a stream or lake using the included straw, 3) inline in a hydration system, and 4) using the included squeeze pouch to filter water into a bottle for drinking.

The Sawyer Mini does not screw onto a Platypus flask. The Platy threads are different from a common soda bottle, so that’s why Sawyer provides flasks that work with their filters.

Field Testing

I tested the Mini screwed onto a lightweight plastic soda bottle on several backpacking trips. A bottle is easy to fill from a stream or lake and is easy to insert into a side pocket of my pack.

I didn’t use the straw, but I have used the previous Squeeze Water Filter inline in a hydration system, which is a similar concept. I personally did not use method #4 above, but I have observed fellow hikers use that method.

The advantage of using a plastic beverage bottle is that you squeeze the bottle and suck at the same time, which increases the flow rate. Methods #2 and #3 above are suction only. With method #4 above one can roll down the squeeze pouch to put a tremendous amount of pressure on the water within to force it through the filter into another container, then you can gulp it down freely.

My favorite system is the Mini screwed onto a 1-liter beverage bottle. The bottle is free and very lightweight, can be filled from a minimally flowing water source, and is easily inserted/withdrawn into/from a pack side pocket. In contrast, a flask is very difficult to fill from a stream or lake, can’t easily be withdrawn/inserted in a side pocket with the pack on, but it works well for camp water.

Backflushing is essential, and I can’t emphasize that enough. I used both the Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter and Mini on many, many trips over several years and found that backflushing is necessary after every trip; otherwise it is progressively harder to suck/squeeze water through the filter. If you go on an extended trip, take the syringe with you.

Another thing I learned is the filter can become “plugged” if it sits around for an extended period. After using it all summer (and backflushing it after every use, including at the end of the summer), the filter was unused over the winter. On the first trip the next summer it was very difficult to suck or push water through it, which was a pain since I was dependent on it. When I got home I soaked it in water overnight and backflushed it with hot tapwater and was able to restore it to its “normal” performance.

Now for the downside. After using the Mini on several trips, and especially in hot weather, I got tired of sucking hard to get water. I wanted to gulp water down instead of sucking it through a filter; it was too much sucking and not enough drinking. So why not go to method #4 (using the included squeeze pouch to filter water into a bottle for drinking) instead, you ask? That would require an extra bottle to collect the water and pour it into the flask, so extra weight and bulk. It’s hard to fill a flask directly from a minimal water source without stirring up debris.

Another drawback is the Sawyer filtering micro tubes can be damaged by freezing, resulting in an impaired ability to safely filter water. So you can be drinking unsafe water without knowing it. If temperatures are likely to drop below freezing, it’s important to put the filter in a pocket or someplace where it won’t freeze.

Finally, the Mini (or any water filter) is not recommended for turbid water or water with a lot of algae in it. Backpacking in Southern Utah is where I learned that the hard way, and I should have known better. After successfully using the Mini on one trip, where we found clean water, I (and my companions) took it on another trip there where we found only scarce cruddy water. Our filters quickly plugged and were unusable. Fortunately I had some Aqua-Mira tabs along as a backup and that saved the trip.

Assessment

It seems there is no “perfect” lightweight water treatment method currently available – every method has some drawbacks – so it’s a personal choice based on how one weighs the following factors: effectiveness, weight, convenience, wait time, taste, reliability, and cost.

My personal history with water treatment is probably typical:

• Aqua-Mira drops are very light weight, but I get tired of the mixing and wait time.
• Aqua-Mira (and other brands) tabs is the lightest system but they are expensive and you still have the wait time.
• Iodine tabs are cheap but it tastes bad and you still have the wait time, and iodine doesn’t kill all organisms; chlorine even less so.
• The Sawyer Squeeze and Mini Water Filters are lightweight and there is no wait time, but I got tired of sucking to get my water, and they clog from cruddy water.
• The rechargeable SteriPen Freedom (2.65 ounces) is very lightweight, but it’s not recommended for turbid water, and requires a wide-mouth bottle for treatment (see my article on using a zip-lock bag with a Steripen), a full charge may not last through a trip, and electronic devices can fail (which happened to me on one trip).

The “best” water treatment gets down to personal choice, as well as choosing the method that is best for the expected conditions. And carrying some Aqua-Mira tabs as a backup is a darn good idea.

GEAR REVIEW: Montbell Ex Light Down Anorak

By Will Rietveld

Montbell is the master of ultralight down insulated garments, and a leader in that category. One of their latest is the Ex Light Down Anorak, available now, which is a pullover version of the familiar Ex Light Down Jacket. But it is more than the addition of a hood...

Montbell Ex Light Down Anorak

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer	Montbell (www.montbell.us)
Product	Ex Light Down Anorak
Fabric	7-denier Ballistic Airlight ripstop nylon
Insulation	2.3 oz 900 fill-power goose down
Weight	Manufacturer 6.2 oz, measured 6.1 oz size men’s Large
Features	Attached hood, 13.5” front zipper, reach-through front pocket, drawcord hem, elastic cuffs, stuff sack included
MSRP	$219

Description

The Ex Light Down Anorak is more than a hooded version of the Ex Light Down Jacket. While the original Ex Light Down Jacket (fill weight 1.8 oz, total weight 5.6 oz, $199) is Spartan except for a full-height front zipper, the Ex Light Down Anorak adds a few features, listed above, bumping the weight up to 6.2 ounces.

The attached insulated hood is basic, with no adjustments.

Besides the hood, a really nice feature of the Anorak is a reach-through front pocket, which is great for stowing things like gloves or warming hands. The cord ends for adjusting the hem are inside the pocket. The Ex Light Jacket does not have any pockets at all.

Field Testing

I tested the Ex Light Down Anorak on eight backpacking trips in the southern Colorado Mountains and Utah Canyonlands. My camp clothing system includes wearing my daytime hiking shorts over my rain pants and silk long johns (and my rain jacket over my insulated jacket, not shown) to utilize all the clothing I carry for warmth in camp.

Many hikers still carry a fleece jacket or pullover on backpacking trips. Although fleece is versatile, it’s not very weight efficient. A 100 weight fleece top can weigh 8 ounces or more. Compare that with the Ex Light Down Anorak at 6.2 ounces, which provides a whole lot more warmth for less weight. And you can get the same warmth with the Montbell Ex Light Down Jacket at 5.6 ounces (which will be discontinued in 2016), and the Montbell Plasma 1000 at 4.8 ounces. These jackets make fleece obsolete for backpacking as far as their comparative warmth to weight ratio, but fleece jackets, including the new hybrid styles, are great for day trips.

I really loved the Anorak’s reach-through front pocket. In camp it’s really handy to have that pocket to stuff things into so they’re handy – gloves, camera, matches, whatever. It was especially handy when I went on an exploratory hike from camp because I could take a few items with me without carrying a pack.

I personally don’t have much use for the hem drawcord, I suppose that is a feature that normally comes with a hooded anorak. It can be removed to save a little weight.

I was testing a quilt at the same time as I tested the Ex Light Anorak and realized that a hooded jacket is a perfect match when you use a hoodless sleeping bag or quilt.

However, my testing included some nights in the low 20s F, which also made me aware that the Ex Light Anorak is a garment meant for moderate and cool conditions, down into the high 20s F (for me), but chilly at temps below that.

One thing I noted while testing is the zipper does not quite come up to my chin, so there is a gap at the top, and the hood fits loosely and can block my view. My solution is to wear my hiking cap over the hood to hold it in place, and add a bit of warmth. The extra room in the hood would allow it to be worn over a climbing or ski helmet.

How does the warmth of the Ex Light Anorak compare to the Plasma 1000 Jacket? When I hold each up in front of a window the fill and loft looks very similar, and that agrees with my field experience for warmth. In my opinion, the warmth is about equal, but the Plasma 1000 achieves the same warmth with less weight.

Assessment

It gets down to whether you are a hoody person or not, or if you prefer a hood for certain seasons, or if your camping/sleeping system requires a jacket hood for warmth. If you prefer a hood, then the Ex Light Anorak is only weight efficient if you actually use the hood, frequently. I must admit that the front reach-through pocket is very addictive. It gets down to the fact that some hikers have a preference and specific need for a hood, and the Ex Light Hoody gives them exactly what they want, at a very light weight.

Note that the Plasma 1000 Down Anorak will be arriving in mid-August 2016; features include a full-height front zipper, attached 2-way adjustable hood, hem drawcord, two zippered hand pockets, and elastic cuffs. Fill weight is 3.4 ounces, jacket weight is 8.4 ounces, and MSRP is $379. This is much more than a hooded version of the Plasma 1000 Jacket because it has a lot more insulation and features.

Also note that Montbell will be discontinuing the Ex Light Down Jacket this year (2016), and currently has them on sale in the outlet section of their website. Montbell feels that the Plasma 1000 Jacket, a newer product, covers that niche.

Finally, note that jackets insulated with premium down are pricey, due to the limited supply and high cost of premium down. Montbell uses a lot of it, has locked in their supply, and (believe it or not) their MSRPs are a good value compared with many other brands.